Face It
by flooj9235
Summary: Beneath her hood, Veronica is mostly hidden from and oblivious to other people's stares. Then the courier points out that most everyone still notices her and thinks she's beautiful, bringing to light insecurities the courier didn't know Veronica had. Oneshot. Femslash.


"Woo, look at that one!" someone calls out.

"Hot damn. Hey baby, wanna spend some time with me? I can make a woman outta you!"

I bite back a grin at the catcalls, walking down the Strip toward the Tops.

A few of the NCR troopers nearby join in the hollering, and I'm a little surprised to hear female voices mixed in. The attention isn't focused on me, and I know that, but I toss a glance over my shoulder at Veronica.

The hooded woman seems completely oblivious, glancing at the high-rise casinos with mild interest.

We make it over to the Tops and walk into the lobby. While our weapons are taken away, I look over at Veronica. She grins uncertainly, looking uncomfortable without her power fist.

"Did you hear all those people outside?" I venture, lifting my arms for a pat down.

She rolls her eyes. "Who couldn't? The hookers aren't **that** attractive. They're all strung out on chems and..." She wrinkles her nose, letting the sentence trail off.

I snort. "That's not who they were talking about."

Veronica looks puzzled, her eyes darting to the gnarly scars on my face.

"They weren't looking at me," I assure her, unable to hide a little grin. "And they weren't looking at the hookers, either. At least, not most of them."

The scribe is still obviously confused, pouting a little when I chuckle. "You're making fun of me."

"Am not," I retort. "I'm just pointing out that the entire Mojave thinks you're hot."

Veronica's cheeks go pink and she looks down at the ground. Her fingers tug at her hood self-consciously and she's unable to meet my gaze. "They're probably all high on Jet or something. Or need glasses."

I scoff, startling her as we walk off into the casino. "Do I look high to you?" I give her a wide-eyed look so she can check my pupils. "Face it, Santangelo, you're gorgeous."

"Shut up," she mumbles, giving me a little shove and walking away from me.

I grin, but back off teasing her. I head up the stairs to the cashier's office and turn over some Legion denarius I'd nicked off an assassin's corpse for some chips. Tops chips in hand, I walk back downstairs and toward the blackjack tables. I'm half-aware of Veronica's presence milling around and examining the artwork or ducking off to a bathroom.

I've won and lost nearly 75 chips when Veronica slides onto a stool next to me. The dealer offers her a spot in the game, but she waves it away, sitting there silently.

After a few more deals go by and I lose another handful of chips, Veronica decides to speak.

"Are you?" she asks slowly, playing with a loose end of felt covering the table. "Making fun of me, I mean." Her eyes flick up to meet mine nervously, then fall back to the fabric between her fingers.

"About...?" I motion for the dealer to take a break, turning to look at the scribe.

"Calling me... pretty." Her cheeks flush again, and she hides under her hood.

Even though my people skills took a major hit from Benny's bullet, I can tell this is a sensitive topic for her. I drop all the teasing from my tone and body language, regarding the woman before me. "Of course not. I wouldn't kid about that."

Veronica exhales slowly, closing her eyes for a moment before studying me. "Promise?"

I nod, giving her a gentle smile to assure her that I'm being sincere. "I promise."

The scribe nods slowly, her eyes going far away. "It's just..."

I stay quiet, giving her the time to say what's on her mind. It's rare to see Veronica anything other than chipper and silly, and I'm not about to brush her off like her feelings are a joke. She seems to struggle with her thoughts, and I rest a hand on her shoulder, wishing I was brave enough to wrap her up in a hug.

"It's just that only, well, only one person has ever told me... that." She swallows, not quite meeting my gaze. After a moment, she whispers the name I knew she would.

I feel my brow furrow in confusion. I'm about to mention her little fan club outside, but she starts speaking again, so I stay quiet.

"No one else ever really meant it, you know?" She lets out a sigh, burying her face in her hands. "I don't know."

We're both quiet for a while, but I finally decide to voice what I'm thinking. "So... what, you think all those people outside were playing a big joke on you? You don't think any of them meant it?"

The scribe shakes her head. "My hair is stupid." She tugs at the edge of her hood self-consciously, shifting uneasily at the admission. "My eyes are the color of gecko droppings. And my ears stick out."

I can't help but grin at the adorable image that occurs to me. "Let me see!" I coo, reaching for her hood.

Veronica yelps and leaps off the stool, backing away from me. Her cheeks flame as she eyes me warily, and I bite back laughter at the expression on her face.

"Okay, okay, sorry." I hold up my hands in surrender. "I won't take your hood, I promise."

Veronica pouts again, crossing her arms over her chest and opting to sit at the table behind herself, a safe distance from me.

I regard her carefully for a few moments, trying to figure out what's stopping her from agreeing that she's cute. "You _really_ don't think they're being serious?"

Veronica snorts. "Oh, I'm sure they think they mean it. But they're not talking to me, not really. Jerkwads." She cuts her eyes at me. "Its a word," she mutters defensively before explaining further. "They're talking to the good time they think they'll have. I just... I don't know." She bites her lip, hesitating a little. "It doesn't mean anything if they don't actually know me and give half a crap about me."

I pause to consider her words. It makes sense now, at least, and I shoot her an understanding smile. "Gotcha."

She doesn't say anything in response, and after a few moments, I grab a few of my chips and start playing with them quietly.

"Do you?" The scribe's voice is soft, and I can hear her crack her knuckles nervously.

I'm confused at first, knowing I've already answered her question by agreeing that I think she's pretty, but one look at her tells me she's asking something far deeper. The feelings for her that I've been guarding flare up in my chest and I start moving without really thinking about what I'm going to do. I set the chips in my hand down, brushing my hands off on my pants and getting up off the stool I've been perched on.

Veronica watches me anxiously, hardly able to meet my gaze.

My heart is thudding in my chest as I move toward her, and I swallow before crouching down in front of her. Wayward dreams aside, I hadn't ever expected the chance to do this. I look into the scribe's face and smile a little. "Veronica, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met, inside and out, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart," I murmur, taking her hands in mine.

Her cheeks darken, and I grin at the sight. Before she can say anything, I stretch up and move to kiss her. Just before our lips meet, her breath hitches, and she closes her eyes. I close the distance between us, and my world narrows to Veronica.

When we break apart, she gives me an embarrassed, almost dazed look. I grin in return, and she slowly returns the smile.

"Believe me now?" I tease gently, giving her hands a soft squeeze.

She pretends to look thoughtful, then shrugs with an impish grin. "Not quite. Maybe you should try that again."

I chuckle, obliging her request and pressing another gentle kiss to her lips.


End file.
